


the wind and rain

by rainydaze13



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Mages, Magic, POV Second Person, Panic Attacks, Reader-Insert, Rituals, Summoning, i feel like i should make it clear that this is not a romance, i guess??? you could see it like that, i love ocs!!!, i'm sorry if you came here searching for a romantic fic but, maybe not read this if you don't like ocs, mc and doc g are just buddies, my ocs!! my friend's ocs!! your ocs probably!! god!! who knows!!!, sorry about that, wow this is really oc heavy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-05-05 22:16:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14628153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainydaze13/pseuds/rainydaze13
Summary: All you really wanted was to summon a pet cat. Now instead you're stuck with a guy from the void.





	1. let the storm in

**Author's Note:**

> me, staring at the ceiling at two am, listening to ghost quartet: you could write a fic about this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You summon a cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT 1/28/19: edited the chapter!! more coming soon hopefully but like. i wouldn't count on it cause school y'know
> 
> EDIT AGAIN AT A REASONABLE TIME OF DAY 1/28/19: to be clear i wrote this all at two am and barely have any memory of it. what have i done

The summoning room shouldn't have been as intimidating as it was.

Logically, there was nothing to be afraid of. There was nothing especially scary about it. It had started as an old bedroom that had been converted with the help of some witch lights that hovered in the dark and pots filled with foreign plants with strange, spiky leaves. Books were shoved haphazardly in shelves and stacked against the walls, the covers torn off of most of them. As an added bonus, the room smelled like potpourri and sulfur half the time, and no matter how much perfume you sprayed, it would never change. (You didn’t even own any potpourri.)

There was nothing to be afraid of, and yet, you only came in here if you had to.

The problem was that you were lonely. People weren’t exactly lining up to be your friend, what with your resting bitch face and... unfortunate reputation. And seeing as you lived on the outskirts of the outskirts of town, and rarely left the house, you didn’t really see your few friends that often.

So you were going to fix that!

You were going to summon a cat.

More specifically, a magic cat. A familiar. You figured it was a better idea to slowly work up to talking to people, and animals were easier to interact with than people. And besides, you'd always liked cats.

The only flaw was, well, everything.

Firstly, you needed a good deal of rather expensive materials, that varied depending on what kind of familiar you wanted. You were not particularly well off, and you needed to pay the bills, and so you decided on the cheapest option, a cat. All you needed was some yarn, some chalk, and some hematite.

You had the yarn and chalk. The only thing you were missing was the hematite. Unfortunately, the owner of the only shop that sold crystals happened to hate you, which was...completely understandable, considering the circumstances. Additionally, you didn't want to wait for online shipping, as packages tended to get lost around you, and you'd usually lose your passion for the project by the time it arrived.

But you could substitute that for whatever crystals you had on hand, right? Sure, your cat may come out a little weird, but that was alright. After all, no pet was perfect!

(Also, you were starved for company. You'd take what you could get.)

Secondly, the ritual for summoning a familiar was long, and also slightly dangerous. You were pulling something alive out of the magical plane and also adding a bit of your soul to it. It needed to go perfectly, otherwise you’d open a sinkhole underneath your house or something. Or die horrifically.

Thankfully, mage internet existed, and there were a lot of tutorials online. Most of them assumed you were around the age of six, which you could understand, seeing as this was usually done by young apprentices. (Your mentor hadn't had the time to teach you.) It was, however, extremely annoying. But it would have to do for now.

With that, you started. Part one: draw the circle. Unfortunately, you did not have a giant compass to help you map out a giant circle, nor were you a state alchemist. So it had turned out a little lopsided and shaky.

Part two: set up candles and crystals. You also had a box full of sand nearby, just in case. You were sure the fire department was sick of taking your calls. In lieu of hematite, you had elected to use black opal. Because that was pretty much all you had on you. But hey, black opal was a great substitute for hematite! It’d channel that...feline bloodlust just as well as hematite would!

Part three: summon magic cat.

This was the hard part.

With the help of YouTube tutorials and your mentors old notebook, you'd formulated a plan. Sure, the notebook was slightly outdated compared to the videos, but you'd made it work. Flipping through the well loved pages until you found the correct one, you took a deep breath and prepared to summon your new friend.

You ran a hand over the ink, feeling the murmurs of magic begin to gather in your mind. They grew larger and larger, from murmurs to whispers to screams. And just when they grew unbearable, you opened your mouth and let them speak.

You only barely knew what you were saying. Your mage-speak wasn’t the best, and it’s not like you had anyone to practice it with. But you had the magic, and a memory of the words, and for this, it was just enough.

The melody of the chant began to twist and turn in the air, the magic rising above your voice and filling the room. Gold threads began to snake around you, twisting and turning around your limbs, filled with a music all their own. You reached at to grab at them, a childlike wonder filling you. They responded to your feelings, bubbles forming out of nowhere, each one glowing like it’s own miniature star. You were awestruck, for just a moment, laughing in joy as one alighted on your hair. This was your favorite part of magic.

But-you shook it off. You were supposed to be summoning. You waved your arms, conducting the threads into a vague cat looking shape.  The magic grumbled, not wanting to be shoved into such a strange form. But it did what you asked. You smiled gratefully. Everything was going well.

And then-

a candle flickered

your voice stuttered

a thread snapped

-something happened.

The room began to flicker. The walls began to thin, turning transparent, then flickering back to solid just as quickly. The flames of the candles flickered, dying out. Then they flared back to life, burning brighter than they ever had. The walls groaned, shaking and shuddering. Black goop began to seep from the bricks, burning where it touched you. The covers of the books flapped open and closed. A wild, untamed shrieking filled the room. With a vague sense of horror, you realized it was you. The mage speak had corrupted, turning itself to an endless wailing. The room shook and heaved, the ground rising up beneath you.

Static crackled in your ears. You felt like you were drowning on dry land, an endless wave of utter despair crashing over your head. A sick feeling began to well up in you as you clutched your stomach, tears coming unbidden to your eyes. The magic was still pouring out of you, no master to control it. On the circle, the image of the cat you were weaving was shattering, every thread coming undone.

Was this it?

Was this how you would die?

And then it stilled. The shaking room seemed to quiet around you, the walls stabilizing and the candle flames growing steady once more. You dared to peek up at the eerily silent room.

Something was forming on the ruined circle. Gone were the beautiful golden threads. In its place, shifting black threads wove around each other to form what looked like...a body. You squinted. No, not black. It was every color of the rainbow, and as it twisted and knotted itself, colors gleamed out at you, seemingly out of nowhere.

Legs. A torso. Arms. A neck. A skeletal face, shining white, split by cracks. A hand, a perfect hole punched straight through it.

The creature formed, weakly pushing itself off the ground on shaking, unsteady arms. The black threads wraped around him like a blanket, forming what looks like clothing around him. A long, black coat. He looked up at you, his jaw moving, like he was trying to speak.

“You…” you managed to choke out, throat clogged by fear and exhaustion, “are not a cat.”

And then, you passed out.

 

You woke up to a monster shaking you.

You responded in what you felt was a perfectly rational way by shrieking and punching him in the face.

In your defense, you did not take well to being shaken. And he was kind of terrifying.

He let out a static filled shriek, clutching his face. You scrambled backwards, back thumping against the wall. “What the fuck?” you demanded. His jaw moved again. The only thing that came out, however, was static.

His jaw moved open and shut again several more times. He looked...frustrated. And scared. His hands, detached from the rest of his body, formed several strange shapes. You squinted. Was that...sign language?

(You suddenly regretted not taking that online course when you could.)

“Wait,” you said, holding up a hand. “Can you...speak?”

His jaw opened and closed a couple of times. He shook his head.

“Alright, can you, uh...write?” He shook his head enthusiastically.

“Okay,” you stood up slowly. “I’m going to get a pencil and paper, and, uh, we can have a chat.”

You skirted past him, trying not to step in the numerous piles of goop on the floor. Once out of the room, you slumped against the wall, panting, hand pressed to your chest. What the fuck. What the actual, literal fuck. What had you done?

You stayed like that for a full minute, trying desperately to calm your nerves, before finally getting up against to get the pen and paper, when something caught your eye.

Next to the door to the summoning room, a protective charm hung. Five pieces of somewhat triangular seaglass were bound together, making a star. It hung on chunky red yarn.

You hesitated for a second, before grabbing it and slinging it around your neck. Safety first.

When you returned, pen and paper in hand, the monster was hunched over your mentor’s notebook, curiously turning the pages with his claw-like fingers. His coat pooled around him, goop seeping into the floor. You gulped and slowly approached him. “Hey, could you, uh, could you not look through that?” you asked quietly. He looked up at you, seemingly surprised, before quickly shutting the book. “Thanks.” you muttered quietly, before holding out the pen and paper to him. “Can you write on this? Just, uh. Whatever you want to say.”

He nodded, taking the pen and began to frantically scribble on the paper. You very determinedly tried not to stare at him. It was hard. He was obviously tall, and somehow managed to take up way more space then he should have.

He passed the paper to you with another buzz of static. You took it cautiously, and squinted at the words. Man. He had really shitty handwriting.

_My name is Doctor_ -and there was a strange collection of letters. They buzzed in your mind when you tried to read it. _Is this house located on the surface? Also, what is this book?_

You passed the paper back to him. “Yeah, we’re on the surface. Barrier broke a, a few, uh...months ago? Yeah, months ago. And that’s, that's uh, my mentor’s notebook.” You scratched the back of your head.

_Interesting._ He wrote, as you leaned over his shoulder to see. _Your mentor was a mage?_

“Yeah, they, they were. I’m a mage too.”

He had to do a double take then, and though you couldn’t see the raised eyebrows, you could feel them. In your soul.

_Well, you are certainly unlike any mage that I know._

“Yeah, times have changed. We don’t have to have long beards and live in towers now.”

_Interesting. I assume you are the one who built the summoning circle here?_

“That would be me, yes.”

_Then may I ask how the actual fuck you pulled me out?_

You blinked. “Well, I was hoping you could answer that…”

_I can’t really conceive how you could have pulled me out of the void, of all places. It’s supposed to be impenetrable._

“Wait, wait, wait.” you said, a sudden feeling of panic being to grow in the pits of your stomach. “The void?”

It was his turn to blink now. _...yes?_

The panic began to rise out of your stomach. You groaned. Of course. Of fucking course. You just had to pull someone out of the fucking void while trying to summon a cat. You just couldn’t be free of it, huh? You really were a dumbass.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” you muttered, burying your head in your hands.

_What? I don’t understand._

You raised your head to stare at him. “Don't you know? Summoning from the void is, is..bad. Forbidden.” you said, voice shaking.

_Why is it forbidden?_

“It destabilizes things. Unmakes them.” you said, staring at your hands. They were shaking. How long had they been like that? “And, and, now the Council’s gonna kill me, and oh fuck, Beldame is probably on her way right now-”

_They’d punish you for making a mistake? Surely they’re not so cruel?_

“They are!” you half shrieked, flapping your hands with anxiety. All you could see was Lucid, his face as they dragged him away- “They’ll take my magic and I, I don’t know what I’ll do without it, and-”

_Then send me back!_

“I can’t! It’ll hurt you! Look, you’re already a goopy looking dude and you were in there for- wait, how long were you in there?”

_...a while. I don't know exactly how long. Time is strange in there._

“See, you don’t even know how long you’ve been in there! I can’t send you back!” Your breath came out of you in short gasps, your chest aching. Your limbs were tingling, ants crawling over them. Your head was buzzing, like a whole chorus of out of tune instruments whistling and humming and shrieking in your head.

If you passed out for the second time in one day, you literally would never be able to forgive yourself.

Breath. Remember what you are. You were a powerful mage. You were better than this.

(You really weren’t, but maybe if you said it long enough, it would be true.)

You sat down heavily, landing with a thump on the ground. Shoving your head in your hands, you tried to concentrate on your breathing, tried to slow the rapid beat of your heart. But the Doctor still hovered over you, and as you tried to calm yourself, you found you couldn’t bear the weight of his eyes on you. The anxiety still rushed through your veins.

You were saved, luckily, by the sound of the bell.


	2. heed just what i say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get a visit from the High Mage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all remember when i said i was gonna update soon? haha not anymore  
> finals are fun but at least after that i'll have more time to work on this  
> also we've finally learned mc's name!!
> 
> EDIT 2/2/19: only minor edits this time i think!

You slowly raised your head and looked at the door. 

The doorbell had rung.

You didn’t have a doorbell.

This could only mean one thing. Only one person was this dramatic and extra.

You jumped up, practically tripping over yourself in your rush to the front door. The door of the summoning room shook the walls around it as you slammed it open. The potted plant next to it fell over from the force, dirt mixing with goop on the floor. The Doctor made a surprised noise, trying to follow after you.

You raced through the door, frantically scrambling through the house. How long were you passed out? A quick glance at the clock on your way to the door had you reeling. It’d been  _ hours. _ You were never going to try this again. It was a wonder you hadn’t started dreaming again.

Another ring of the non existent doorbell. You practically vaulted over the couch in your rush for the door. You fumbled with the doorknob, hands shaking too much to properly get ahold of it. Finally, it swung open-

“Usher,” High Mage Beldame said, one perfect eyebrow raised. “Care to explain why there’s void eating away at my office?”

Just as you thought.

Beldame was intimidating on the best of days, but here, looking at you, slightly disheveled and murder in her eyes, she was downright terrifying. Her usually impeccable white hair was falling out of it’s bun. Goop drenched her perfectly starched blouse. Her long, perfectly manicured nails tapped impatiently against her leg. 

“Uh, well,” you stuttered, nervously scratching your head. And then stopped. “Wait, how'd you know it was me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Who else?”

You spluttered, trying to form some defense, but she pushed past you into your house, scoffing at the pathetic state of your living room. “Where is it?”

“Where is what?”

“Whatever beast you’ve summoned now. I want to see it.”

“He’s not-”

You were interrupted by static. You slowly turned around to see the Doctor standing at the door. He tilted his head, looking at Beldame, and then at you.

“Goddammit, Doc.” you mumbled.

Beldame  _ tsked _ disapprovingly, making her way to him. Reaching out her perfectly manicured nails, she tugged his chin down to get a better look at him. He stooped down awkwardly to reach her height. “And what is this creature?”

“He’s Doctor…” you trailed off. You still didn’t know his actual name. Maybe you should have actually asked him about that. He was looking at you as Beldame inspected him, a panicked look in his eye. You shrugged helplessly at him. “He’s a Doctor. That’s all I know about him.”

“And you found him...in the void.” she sighed. “Really, Usher, I’d assumed we were past your attempts to find Lucid again. This is honestly just pathetic.”

“I wasn’t!” you protested. “I was just trying to summon a familiar! That’s all, I swear!”

She gave you a look that made you want to sink into the floor and disappear forever. “Am I supposed to believe that you messed up such a simple spell? Really, Usher.”

“Yes, we’ve established I’m a “disgrace to the mage community” and a waste of potential by now!” you snapped, voice shaking. You swiped at your eyes, knowing that she'd only taunt you for the frustrated tears.

“Don’t take that tone with me,” she said. You hated how calm she was. Your anxiety ave frustration was burning a hole right through your chest and she had the audacity to be calm about it. You’re gonna rip that calmness right out of her if she doesn't-

She was reaching into her pocket, now, pulling out a small jar. “Do you know what this is?”

You leaned into, staring at it. Behind you, the Doctor was making a staticky humming noise, seemingly distressed. Inside the jar, there was a swirl of darkness pummeling against the sides. Bright colors flashed in it, disappearing as soon as they appeared. An eye outlined in white opened in it for just a second- and upon seeing you, vanished.

Your jaw clenched. “A piece of the void. How did you trap it in there?”

Her lips curled up in a self satisfied smirk. “It’s magic glass. Specially made.”

How you hated that smirk. “Fantastic. Why are you showing me it?”

“This,” she tapped the glass, “is a small piece of what is currently eating away at my office.”

You blinked. “What-”

“Because of your little mistake-” she gestured to the Doctor, “-the void is currently unmaking this reality.”

“I-”

“And now that you've made the mistake, you’re going to fix it.”

“I thought the Council didn’t want me “interfering in matters concerning the void” again.” you protested weakly.

“The Council has decided, in light of your...unique situation, to give you another chance.”

“I’m flattered.” you grumbled. “What, you want me to dream him back in there?”

“Don’t be ungrateful,” she snapped, in a tone that automatically made you straighten your back. “Were it not for your gift, you would be with your good-for-nothing mentor. Remember that.”

“Of course, High Mage.” you sighed. “What is it that the Council wants me to do?” Because the Council would never give something for free, of course. That wasn’t how it worked around here.

“Two tasks.” She began to pace. “Firstly; you need to fix this. Within 49 days, if preferable.”

You raised an eyebrow. “49? That seems a little random.”

“49.” she confirmed. “Seven squared. It’s a good, magic number.”

You rubbed your temples. Man, mages were ridiculous sometimes. Who even decided that seven was a magic number? Why not six? Or eight? “So I need to get him fully out of the void in 49 days?”

“Or send him back. We’re not picky.” Beldame shrugged. The Doctor yelped. You immediately decided not to send him back.

“And the second task?” you asked. 

“As you know,” she began, “the monsters recently emerged from under Mt. Ebott.”

You stilled, taking a deep breath. “...yes. What about them?”

“We suspect their Ambassador, Frisk, may have a red SOUL. We need you to keep an eye on them and confirm this.”

You gaped at her, weakly raising a finger. “Shouldn’t...shouldn’t you get someone more... responsible? Emotionally stable? Isn’t Lachesism free this week?”

“You are, unfortunately, the only one who has enough experience with red SOULS to properly determine this.” she scoffed.

“That’s...ridiculously unfair.” you said. “You can’t just, just dump that on me after-”

“Would you prefer we just sent you to the void as well? Because we can do that. You can see your precious mentor again. I’m sure it would be a lovely experience for you.”

Your shoulders slumped. “No, High Mage. I’ll do it.”

“That’s what I thought.” She patted you on the cheek, her long nails just barely scraping you. “We’ve set up a meeting for you two days from now, in the early morning. I’ll send a messenger for you then.”

“Right,” you mumbled, turning away from her.

“And Usher,” she called, “Remember. You’re here because you’d be less useful dead.”

You didn’t say a word as she closed the front door. The Doctor murmured something in static, putting a hand on your shoulder.

Though she’d just left, Beldame’s presence still lingered in the air. You shivered, turning away from the door. This always happened when Beldame came. She’d come and mock you and give you some task to complete and left you feeling cold.

You wanted to be warm again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> questions, concerns, cries of hearsay? come visit me at somehownagisa on tumblr


	3. too much candy's gonna rot your soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You visit Moirai Bakery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, i got through finals!! and you'll all be glad to know that instead of working on this chapter, i made a playlist for the mc instead. and also played absurd amounts of stardew valley. that game is strangely addicting.
> 
> one of the characters in this chapter, susurrus, belongs to my good friend qu33nbeee/dollblood!!! pls go check wheeler out they're great and they write great stories and make great ocs!!!
> 
> EDIT 2/2/19: minor edits again!!

You grabbed a sweater from where it lay haphazardly across your coach, soft yarn brushing over your cheek as you pulled it over your head. In your bag, you threw: a ball of yarn (payment), a golden coin (payment), and a pair of wire cutters (just in case). You slipped on your second-best pair of boots, and beckoned for the Doctor to follow you as you walked out of the door. He scrambled after you, frantically grabbing a pencil and the nearest piece of paper.

You practically ran along the pathway into town. The jacaranda trees were blooming this time of year, their purple blossoms falling to the ground and staining your shoes purple. The void goop from the Doctor seeped along the ground, filling in the cracks in the sidewalks and staining the ground black. A bird sang excitedly in the tree next to you. Your bag banged against your hip, the items in it bouncing merrily.

The sidewalk began to fill with more and more people as it reached deeper into the city. On most days, most of them wouldn’t have given you a second glance. This was Ebott City, after all. Unusual people were everywhere. It’d been a hotbed for mages long before the barrier broke. Today, however, the Doctor was with you, trailing behind you absently as he tried to take in the sights. People hurriedly stepped out of his way, avoiding the small puddles of goop he left behind, and gave the two of you a few nasty looks.

Moirai Bakery was located on a little side street near City Hall. You hurried down it, thanking whoever was listening that there weren’t many people on this street as there was on the main road. You stopped in front of the storefront, peering through the window at the cakes displayed. The pink banner declared that this was, indeed, Moirai Bakery, and also that they had the best cupcakes this side of Ebott. Which, true.

A bell rung as you pushed open the door. The Doctor crouched through the door. (A flash of panic raced through your head-what if he got goop on the floors?) The bakery had a few couches and tables, shoved mostly to the side of the shop. The display boasted delicately frosted cakes, donuts drizzled with chocolate and powdered sugar, and cupcakes that looked absolutely scrumptious. Christmas lights had been strung along the walls, lighting up the pictures that hung along the walls. Most of them were of people that you didn’t know, though you recognized a few.

The bakery was strangely empty for this time of day. The only person in there was a young man asleep at the counter. His dark hair had been shaved and dyed green at the sides, and a colorful cape was draped across his shoulders. A clay mask lay next to him.

This was Susurrus, a fellow mage. You knew he ran an antique shop in the area, but you’d never really talked to him before. He’d come in from another city a few years back. You’d tried to find his shop before but strangely, you couldn’t find it anywhere, no matter how long you looked.

A door in the back-probably leading to the kitchen- swung open. A dark skinned woman with an afro walked through it, struggling with a large tray of cookies. The sleeves of her puffy white sweater were rolled up, and her pink apron looked like it had scorch marks on it. Around her neck, several golden necklaces gleamed and jingled as she walked.

This was the woman you were looking for. Lachesism, the owner and baker of Moirai Bakery, possessor of a smile that could outshine the sun. She didn’t notice you at first, more preoccupied with setting the tray down and ruffling Susurrus’ hair affectionately. You lightly coughed.

She raised her head. A grin spread across her face as she spotted you, nearly vaulting over the counter so she could crush you in a hug. “Usher!” she cheered.

You smiled back, hand awkwardly patting her back as she hugged you. Lache’s hugs were honestly the best. Like getting a hug from a warm campfire, minus the terrible third degree burns. “Hey, Lache.”

At the counter, Susurrus shifted, likely woken up by all the noise. He slowly raised his head. His sleepy eyes slowly looked at you. He blinked, once, twice.

You cautiously waved at him.

Quicker then you could blink, he grabbed the mask that lay next to him and slapped it on his face.

Lache let go of you, hands on her hips. “I haven’t seen you in ages! What have you been up to?”

“Oh, this and that,” you mumbled, very determinedly not looking her in the eyes. Hopefully, she would not ask questions about the monster currently dripping void goop on the clean floors. “Uh, Lache-”

“And who, exactly,” she raised a single eyebrow, “is your friend here?”

You mentally sighed. Busted.

“This is...he’s a doctor,” you began. “I might have, uh, pulled him out of the void?”

For five seconds of terrible, terrible silence, Lache stared at you with a disappointed look on her face. You felt like melting into the floor.

“Oh, Usher.” she sighed. “Were you-”

“No!” you said. “No, I was just trying to- trying to summon a familiar! That’s all, I promise.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Oh, thank goodness. What happened?”

“I don’t know. Something went wrong, I don’t know what, and uh, he appeared and I blacked out for a while and then Beldame came-”

“Wait, Beldame?”

“Yeah! And she said that, that, the void was eating- was eating away at this reality or something? And that it was my fault. Because I accidentally brought him here but he’s not really all the way here? And that I need to fix it or they’re gonna...you know.”

Lache gasped. “That nasty, stuck up, little-she can’t just dump that all on you! Not after-”

“No, no-” you shook your head, “it’s really-it’s really only fair. I made the mistake-”

“No, it’s not! You shouldn’t have to-”

The two of you were interrupted by a static noise. You turned to the Doctor, who was staring at you. In his hand was the piece of paper. It read,  _ What are we here for, exactly? _

“Oh, right, uh,” you fished around in your bag, trying to find the golden coin you had dropped in there earlier. “Lache, I need some of your pastries. The healing ones. He, uh, he can’t speak, and I figured you might be able to help with that? Plus all the, the void stuff. And also I need my usual-my usual ones.”

“Oh!” Lache’s eyes went wide. “Yeah, I think I've got some ones with nullification spells? That is a curse he's got on him, I'm assuming?”

“Maybe? It might have been caused by, by overexposure to the void?” you said. 

Lache nodded, reaching for a pastry. “Yeah, that makes sense…hey, Sus, did I make the special ones already, or? We might need them for this.”

He nodded. “...they’re in the back.”

She smiled sunnily, kissing the cheek of his mask. “Thanks!” she called over her shoulder, bustling towards the back of the shop.

The silence she left behind was unbearable. You looked awkwardly at Susurrus. You couldn’t see his eyes under the mask, but you could imagine his stare, cool and steady.

He broke the silence first. “...do you want a cupcake?”

You blinked. “...yes?”

He opened up the pink box next to him, taking out a cupcake with green icing. “They’re a little stale. Lache helped me make them yesterday.”

You took it, smiling gratefully. “Thank you.” 

He offered one to the Doctor as well. He took it carefully, making sure not to get icing on his claws.

You were saved from any further conversation by Lache, holding a pink bakery box full of pastries. “Alright, so the donuts with the green frosting are curse nullification, the cookies with the blue frosting are the special experimental ones, be careful with those, and the bear claws are your usual. You got all of that?”

“Yeah.” you accepted the box, as the Doctor frantically scribbled the instructions on his paper. “Thank you Lache, this really does mean a lot.”

“Oh, it’s no problem!” She leaned forward, planting an affectionate kiss on your cheek. “Stay safe, okay? You know you can come to me for anything. Also, I need my payment.”

You rubbed your cheek, flushing. Man, having affectionate friends was nice. “Right, uh.” You handed her the coin. “I also have that dream yarn you wanted, if that’s still-if that’s still a thing?”

“Oh, yeah, that’d be great!” She slipped the coin into a pocket on her apron. You rooted around in your bag, finally pulling out the ball of yarn, and handed it to her. She beamed, kissing you on the other cheek. You got redder, if it was possible. “Thanks, Usher, you’re the best!”

You slunk out of her shop, face flushed, but feeling much better as she waved you out. “Bye, Usher! Bye, Usher’s doctor friend!”

As soon as you were out of the shop, Gaster handed the paper to you.  _ So the pastries are magic? _

“Yeah, it’s Lache’s thing. Her focus magic. She bakes spells into the pastries.”

_ Spells for restoring HP and such? _

“No, no, spells for like, like energy and happiness and stuff. You eat one and you-and you feel better and it gives you energy and stuff. She’s got a license for it and everything.”

_ We had something similar to that, in the Underground. I remember the spiders held a particularly good bake sale. _

“Really? Spiders?”

_ Yes. I...I think I liked the Spider Donuts. _

“Spider Donuts…? Donuts...with spiders?”

_ They were very good. _

“If you say so, Doc.”


	4. the words kaleidoscope inside my head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get ready for a meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i....i can explain  
> okay, so uh.  
> a.) this fic was born out of a sudden burst of inspiration by listening to ghost quartet + venturing back into the undertale tags on tumblr for the first time in a while. for a while i knew where i was going with this story. and then, after i posted the last chapter that inspiration just. faded. there was nothing there anymore. and i couldn't write it.  
> b.) the main character of this fic, usher/reader, is an oc of mine that i developed more and more over the time that i wasn't writing it, to the point where the mc of this fic and usher are entirely different people that just happen to share a backstory and name, and i feel like that difference made me scared to write this fic anymore. i felt like i was betraying this fic the farther usher got from the mc, if that makes sense. it probably doesn't, but.  
> c. writer's block.  
> d. school.  
> f. anxiety.  
> but now i have that inspiration back, at least for a little bit. the release of deltarune inspired me, and even though i'm not done with the game, i feel pretty confident about this.  
> this fic WILL continue, i promise.  
> i'm sorry for not updating for so long, and i'm sorry that this chapter is so short compared to the others. you can come talk to me about this fic, usher, my ocs, undertale and my mage universe at somehownagisa.tumblr.com  
> thank you for reading.
> 
> EDIT 2/2/19: non minor edits!!

_ The day before Chara came, Lucid took you to a graveyard.  _

_ Thorns dug into your arms and legs, ripping your leggings and leaving smears of blood on your skin. Lucid wordlessly dug a tube of ointment out of his pocket and handed to you. He continued on, pushing the crowding brambles out of his way. You stumbled after him, sun burning into your skin. In your head, you cursed him out. You couldn’t have gone somewhere non-thorny? Maybe on a less sunny day. _

_ You were guessing this had something to do with the bottle of wine that he swung carelessly as he walked. Was he drunk? Probably. How did he get custody of you again? _

_ He pushed aside the final branch, humming tunelessly as he stepped out into the clearing. You ducked as it swung back, hurrying after him. _

_ The cemetary was small and crowded. The gravestones leaned into each other like nosy neighbors, fighting for space of their own. The patchy grass had practically overtaken the stones, obscuring the older ones completely. _

_ Lucid walked to a relatively new stone. You followed him cautiously. Paying you no mind, he unscrewed the cork of the bottle. He took a swig, before pouring it out on the grass. _

_ You couldn’t read the writing on the stone. Everytime you looked at it, it changed and switched in a burst of static. You blinked. Was this- _

_ The last thing you saw before you woke up was this:  _ **_Delirium. Beloved, I will see you soon._ **

 

The next day, you woke up to a bird on your chest.

It was a raven, of course, because Beldame had always been and would always been as cliche and dramatic as humanly possible. Its beak was uncomfortably close to your eyes. Malice rested in it’s beady little eyes. In literally any other circumstance, you probably would have liked this bird. But alas, it was sitting on your chest in the early morning, disrupting your sleep. Therefore, it had to go.

You sat up, pushing it off of you. It squawked, fluttering off of your chest. You lazily point an accusing finger at it, a yawn escaping your mouth. “What is it this time?”

The bird opened its beak and squawked out. “You have an appointment with Beldame and the monster ambassador.”

You groaned, rubbing your eyes. “Can’t it wait? I’m very tired.”

“You have an appointment with Beldame and the monster ambassador.”

You blinked, smoothing back your tangled hair. “Is...is that the only thing you can say?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

You...you didn’t really want to go to this thing. You knew it was important for monster and mage and humankind to get along. But you were sure they could do that without you, right? Of course, the last time they tried a war started and the monsters got trapped, but….

You really, really, really wanted to stay in bed.

A buzz of static from the doorway interrupted your thoughts. Both you and the raven looked up.

The Doctor stood there.

You looked up.

The Doctor stood there.

You looked up.

The Doctor stood there. He was holding a pastry.

You shook your head, rubbing at your eyes. Did...did something happen? You felt like it had. Pushing the raven (gently) off of you, you stood up from the bed, and black swarmed over your vision. Blinking, you swayed in place. The Doctor made what could be a noise of distress, had it not been garbled static. You waved him off, steadying yourself on the bedpost. Behind you, the raven squawked.

“Hey, doc.” you mumbled, trying desperately to smooth out your bedhead. You gave him a half-assed wave. The raven also waved a wing. He waved back at the two of you, squinting at the raven on the bed.

“Oh, uh, this is one of, one of Beldame’s messengers. They’re here to...remind me to go to a meeting. She’s nice like that. Sending ravens ‘nd all,” you started, trying to figure a quick and believable excuse to delay leaving the house, “But, uh. I might as well have breakfast before, before I leave, right? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Yeah?”

He gave you a confused thumbs up. You took that as a yes.

“Great!” You gently pushed past him, heading for your kitchen. The raven fluttered after you, landing on you shoulder. In the hallway, the sound of fluttering alerted you to something. You patted around your head, but whatever it was must have been avoiding you. With a sigh, you walked to the bathroom. Pulling the sheets off of the mirror, you peered at your reflection.

There was a golden bug in your hair.

You picked it out carefully, pinching it with two fingers. It beat its tiny wings helplessly, a whirring coming from it. You turned it around. There was a golden wind up key on its back. You twisted it, and let the little thing go.

The whirring changed pitch and tone, becoming a almost lullaby-esque tune. It reminded of the music box you had as a child. The bug hovered in midair, before choosing to settle in your hair again.

You let it stay. It must be scary, to be a dream thing without a dream.

In the kitchen, you swung the fridge door open. It flew open quicker then you thought, banging on the side of the stove, making you wince. A puff of cold air greeted. Inside there was nothing but the box of pastries you’d gotten from Lache, a half eaten apple, and a tupperware full of pasta.

So you hadn’t gone grocery shopping after all.

You let the door swing shut. It was far too early for a pastry, that apple looked a little moldy, and you needed to save the pasta for lunch. You’d just have to go without breakfast today. You weren’t that hungry anyways.

The raven cawed.

Right. The meeting. These kinds of things usually meant fancy dress, right? You weren’t sure if you had anything like that. You tried to stick to whatever was comfortable and convenient.

You could, of course, wear his clothes. There had to be something in his closet. He’d always paid attention to how he’d dressed. Something had to fit you, right?

Nope. No. Nuh-uh. You shook the idea out of your head. You’d just feel stupid, wearing your mentor’s clothes. Like a child playing dress up. No, it was a stupid idea, and you weren’t going to do it, and-

And in the end, you succumbed and grabbed his hat.

In your defense, it was a nice hat. And better, the transparent veil that hung down from the brim shielded your face. No one would be able to tell how scared and nervous you were with this on.

You’d stalled long enough. Time to leave the house.

Your hand rested on the doorknob. You could still go back to sleep. You could still let yourself give up, let the monsters and mages and humans all tear themselves to pieces. It wasn’t really your fault what they did to each other.

(If they tore themselves apart, it would be your fault. You knew this.)

You turned the doorknob, opened the door, and stepped outside.


	5. automaton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meeting starts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF UH. IT'S TWO AM Y'ALL. also this chapter title is NOT a song lyric can you IMAGINE
> 
> also!!!! i made a bunch of edits to previous chapters!! some minor some non minor!! you should probs check those out!!

_ “Listen,” you said, “He doesn’t mean it-” _

_ They fixed you with a glare that could melt ice caps. “Yes, he does.” _

_ You sighed. “Okay, yeah, he does. But he wasn’t always like this.” _

_ “He’s like this now.” They pounded their fists on the ground, frustrated. “He’s always drinking and he never does anything! He doesn’t care about us! Why do we have to stay with him?” _

_ “Because…” you pressed your lips together, unsure of your answer. Why did you have to stay with Lucid? “Cause the Council says we have to.” _

_ “Why? Why do we have to listen to them?” _

_ “Cause..they know more then us, right? They’re adults, and...there’s gotta be a reason they’re making us. We just don’t know it yet.” _

_ They poked your cheek. “That sounded an awful lot like “I don’t know.” _

_ “Okay, yeah, fine. I don’t know. You happy?” _

_ They sighed, flopping on the ground. “Let’s run away, Usher.” _

_You joined them, staring at the ceiling. “Where would we go?_ _  
__“Mt. Ebott.” They said, instantly. “We can go stay with the monsters under there.”_

_ You rolled your eyes. “That’s only a fairy tale. They tell it to kids so they won’t go poking around up there.” _

_ “No, it isn’t!” they insisted. _

_ “Besides,” you turned your head to stare at them. “Why wouldn’t the monsters just kick us out? We’re the ones who trapped them. They wouldn’t want to be reminded of that.” _

_ “I don’t know,” they said, tugging at the sleeve of their sweater. “I just…” _

_ “I know,” you said, sitting up. “I wanna get out of here too.” _

_ They sat up as well. “Can you tell me the story again?” _

_ You laughed, ruffling their hand. They squirmed, pushing your hand away. “Sure. Once upon a time…” _

 

The first one to greet you when you walked in was Pax, the ambassador for the High Council. He was infamous in the mage community, not only for being a political legend and a master of magic, but also for being hot as hell. You hadn’t actually believed the last part, but now that you were actually looking at him...Huh. Beldame had not warned you about this.

“Usher!” he waved, flashing you a perfect grin. “So good to see you again!”

You waved back confusedly. You didn’t recall meeting him before? “Oh, uh, yeah. Hi, Pax?”

“This is my friend, Usher. They’re a specialist for the High Council.” He said to the person sitting next to him, a large goat-esqe monster with an impressive beard. From what you had seen on TV, you guessed that this was the King, Asgore. He didn’t seem like the kind of person to have murdered six children, but hey. You didn’t look so hot yourself.

“Oh?” the woman in front of Pax said. She too, was a goat monster, wearing a purple dress. This must have been Toriel, former Queen of Monsters. Next to her, a child was sitting calmly, legs swinging back and forth. “What do you specialize in?”

“I specialize in, in uh…” You trailed off, trying to figure out what the say. “Just, uh...”

“They’re very good at what they do.” Pax, noticing your hesitance, assured her, running his hand through his hair. “They’re here to help Frisk.”

At the sound of the name, the child in the seat next to Toriel raised their head.

You had to choke back a gasp.

The Monster Ambassador turned out to be smaller than you’d thought.

And by that, you meant they were an actual, literal,  _ child. _ What the  _ fuck _ . Was this allowed? Who let this happen? Shouldn’t they be in school or something? What the  _ Fuck?  _ Their feet didn’t even reach the ground from the chair they were sitting in-

Pax didn’t seemed particularly concerned about this, guiding you to a seat as you tried very hard not to gape. “Pax,” you whispered. “Pax, what- they’re a  _ baby- _ ”

“I know,” he muttered. “But they’re ambassador for a reason. Try not to stare, alright?”

Easier said than done.

Over the course of the meeting, you learned two things. One, that politics was a lot more complicated than you had thought it was, and two, that Toriel had brought pie to the meeting. (Seeing as you hadn’t eaten breakfast, and you were very hungry, and  _ pie, _ you immediately decided that you would die for her.) The meeting had already gotten to the two hour mark before it turned to a topic you were familiar with.

“The High Council does want to help Frisk with their magic,” Pax said, “They have a extremely strong SOUL, and the Council wants to see them reach their full potential. Which is why Usher is here.”

“Oh?” Toriel raised her eyebrows. You fidgeted in your seat, toying with the edge of your shirt.

“They are a specialist in certain, powerful types of magic. We have no experts on the type of magic Frisk described to me, but they are the closest equivalent we have. They were...close to the last known instance of a red SOUL, Chara, before their unfortunate disappearance. They were-”

“Siblings,” you interjected quietly. “We were siblings.”

“Yes, siblings. We thought, considering the circumstances-”

He was interrupted by the sound of a choked gasp.

Toriel was staring at you as if she had seen a ghost. 


End file.
